CHAPTER XIV
MR. TARBILL GETS A SHOCK
"This is one of your 'jokes,' I suppose," remarked the captain.
"Yes. It was too funny," answered Bob. "He really believed awhale was after us."
"Do you think it was a good thing to do, alarm him so?"
"I--er--well, I thought it might do his nerves good," stammered Bob.
"Hum!" murmured the captain. "I must say, Bob, you have a queeridea of what is good for the nerves. Now I can't allow this. Mr.Tarbill is a guest of mine, and I will not have his comfortinterfered with. He is taking a voyage for his health, and I don'twant him annoyed."
"I'm sorry," began Bob, always ready to repent, though usually itdid not last long.
"Then don't do it again."
"I'll not, sir. I didn't think he'd believe me."
"He knows very little about the ocean. In fact, there are somethings you don't know, and, if they wanted to, some of the oldsailors could spin you yarns that would make your hair stand up."
"I wish they would then," said Bob. "I like sea stories, captain."
"I guess I'll have to take stronger measures with him," thought thecommander as he walked forward.
A few minutes later Mr. Tarbill rushed up on deck. He had alife-preserver strapped about him, and in either hand was a valise,while over his shoulder was some spare clothing he had not had timeto pack in the satchels.
"Are the lifeboats ready?" he asked of Mr. Carr, who was the firstperson he met on deck.
"The lifeboats? What for?"
"Why, the ship has been rammed by a whale and is sinking."
"Who told you so?"
"That boy, Bob Henderson."
"I thought so!" exclaimed the mate. "That's one of his so-called'jokes.' There's no danger, Mr. Tarbill. That was only a big wavethat hit us. You are perfectly safe."
"Are you sure?"
"Quite sure."
"Don't you think I had better see the captain and ask him about itbefore I take off my life-preserver?"
"Oh, no; there is no need of that. The ship is in no danger," andthe mate tried not to smile at the nervous passenger's fears.
"Then if you say so I'll go and take this life-preserver off. Itis quite heavy."
"Do so by all means. The young rascal," added the mate under hisbreath as he thought of Bob. "I'll have to teach him a lesson."
Bob was not a little alarmed at the result of his thoughtlessprank. He did not know what the captain might do to punish him,and in the future he resolved to restrain his impulses.
"Maybe he'll send me home by some passing ship," the boy thought,"and I wouldn't like that a bit."
The weather was fine for the next few days. The _Eagle_ continuedon her way south, the climate getting warmer and warmer as theyapproached the equator. Bob meanwhile had learned much about theship and the manner of sailing it. He got the names of the variousropes and sails by heart, and it would have taken a prettyingenious sailor to have sent him on a foolish errand now aftersome part of the ship's gear. Captain Spark was encouraged byBob's behavior, and began to think the voyage was doing the ladgood. So it was, but the cure was not complete, as you shall see.
Mr. Tarbill resented Bob's joke, and had not spoken to the boysince the "whale" incident. But Bob did not mind this. There wasplenty to keep him occupied, with his duties to perform andsailors' stories to listen to.
When they were out about two weeks there came a day when there wasonly the lightest breeze, The _Eagle_ barely had steerageway overthe sea, which was as quiet and still as a small lake. The bluewaters sparkled in the bright sun, and as Bob lounged about on deckhe felt a lazy contentment which was probably caused by the nearapproach to the tropical zone.
He looked up at the towering masts, and an idea came to him.
"If I could climb up there," he said, "I could have a fine view. Iought to be able to see a vessel from that height. Guess I'll doit. I never tried it, but it looks easy, and there's not enoughmotion to pitch me off."
With Bob, usually, to think was to act. Looking around to see thatneither the captain nor the mates were in sight to forbid him, hestepped to the rail, mounted Into the shrouds, or ladders, that areformed by the wire ropes supporting the mast, and was soonascending toward the maintop, the highest point of the largest mast.
It was rather difficult work, but Bob kept on and soon was a greatdistance above the deck. He looked around him, noted several shipswhich were not visible from below and then glanced down. He sawMr. Tarbill come out on deck, and then, more in good spirits thanbecause he wanted, to cause the nervous passenger a scare, Bob gavea great shout. Mr. Tarbill looked up, saw the boy far in the air,clinging to what, at that distance, Seemed but a slender stick, andthen he cried:
"Quick! Somebody come quick!"
"What is it?" shouted Mr. Carr, thinking from the tones of Mr.Tarbill's voice some one had fallen overboard.
"That boy! That awful boy!" replied the nervous man.
"What about him? Is he overboard? Which side? I'll throw him alife-preserver!"
"No, he isn't overboard! He's up there! On the mast! Oh!Suppose he falls! My nerves are in such a state! This is an awfulshock! What a dreadful boy! I wish he had never come aboard thisship, or else that I hadn't!"
"Come on up!" cried Bob, all unconscious of the excitement he hadcreated. "It's fine up here!"
"Oh! I feel as if I was going to faint!" exclaimed Mr. Tarbill,growing paler than usual.
"Come down, Bob!" ordered Mr. Carr, making a trumpet of his hands."If it isn't one thing it's another," thought the mate. "I'll beglad when this voyage is over."